Jesus did not suffer an excruciating death to start a religion. Quite the contrary. He came to fullfill the requirements of the old covenant of law. The penalty for sin under the law was death. The wages (cost) of sin is death. Jesus was our sacrificial Lamb. His death forgave the sins of the world. He did this to end the first covenant so He could initiate the New Covenant of Grace. With the sin penalty paid, and the law fullfilled, we now have direct access to God. The veil separating us from the Holy of Holies was torn. Jesus body represented the veil. His body was torn for us so we would no longer need a priest as an intermediary. Anyone who wishes to know God can. It is by belief that we are saved. This is called our salvation. We have been given a free will choice to believe and receive. We also receive the very Spirit of God indwelling us. This restores us to life, from being born into this world spiritually dead. The dead come to life by receiveing the life offered. 😇